How Alice Became a Vampire
by JanetL
Summary: Set in a mental hospital and wrote in the beginning from the vampire that turned her, the title says it all. Alice's background is a little sketchy in Twilight, so I thought I would take a crack at it.
1. Chapter 1

I had watched her now for months in her dark cell, since my first night here. I couldn't remember being anywhere this long. My plan for that first night was my usual. Get in, feed, get out and move on. I made my rounds. Old age homes… hospitals... Occasionally I would hit a prison. I tried to avoid those if I could help it. Being executioner for crimes that I myself perpetrated…well, it made me uncomfortable.

I had been on this earth far too long. Too many of the young and healthy were gone because of me. Feed on the old, the sick and the dying, I told myself. It was a compromise that I had made over the years. It eased the burden of the death sentences that I was forced to administer in order to exist. At least I didn't destroy someone with a future.

Then I found this place, Athens Asylum for the Insane… and her. I had no plan to stay, but as I roamed the halls that first night, I caught her scent, very floral despite the other odors rising from here. I looked in her small barred window. There was something so hopeless about her. Sickly and frail, forced to spend her existence in a dark filthy hole... I stood for several minutes staring at her. I should ease her pain. She certainly filled my criteria, but I passed her by for reasons unknown to me, feeding on another wretched soul. I left town and moved on north, but I as the days passed I couldn't escape the image of her, curled up in the corner of her black prison. I stayed in the tri-state area, finding myself wandering back to this place over and over again, always stopping at her window on my way to my next victim. It got to the point where I didn't go anywhere else. As over crowded and retched as this place was, I felt better about what I was doing than in anytime in my immortal life. I was an angel of mercy. No one should have to exist like this. One of these trips I caught a posting on the employee bulletin board for the janitor position. I decided that as long as I came here regular, I might as well take it. Employment inside the facility would provide easier access to my prey. I could research here during the day, be more selective of who I would feed on.

It was still dark when I arrived at 5am. I wore dark glasses while I mopped the floors, hiding my crimson eyes from view. I told the few people that questioned me that my eyes had been damaged during the Great War. Transformed into a monster at thirty-three, I appeared to be around the right age. I smiled as I overheard them gossiping. Half the staff here now thought that I was blind. No one ever noticed when I left. The general thinking was why would anyone be here longer than they had to be? If it was sunny, I'd just wait till dark or if it was cold enough, cover myself up in a hat and gloves.

I had to admit this was an easy place for me to get a meal. I spent my shift searching for the next human to free from here. No one noticed or care how these poor condemned creatures met their ends. Like me, many of the staff quietly rejoiced, as the name of my latest victim would appear in the paperwork. The nurses words, whispered to each other eased my conscious, removed all lingering doubt that what I was doing was good.

The asylum opened in 1874. It was meant to be a more benevolent place to treat the mentally infirmed. However, over the years things changed. Families would drop off elderly they no longer wished to care for. Parents abandoned unruly teenagers here. Then there were the children, infants and toddlers when they arrived. Rich and poor alike dumped what they couldn't, or wouldn't deal with. The institution, bloated with patients, failed to keep the level of care their founders hoped to provide. Funding shortages left fifty patients to one nurse. Physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, it didn't matter. They were all lumped together. If they weren't crazy when they arrived, they soon became that way. They would regularly lose three or four patients a month in a place this size. I could feed here once a week if I wanted to. But as confident that what I was doing was right, I couldn't do it to her.

I had a plan in my head for my next victim. I felt that I had made a good choice. But as I ran toward the asylum, I started thinking about her. God, she was such a tiny little thing. For reasons I could not rationalize, I had snuck into the nurse's station and took her chart the first night I was here. Ten years… Tens years sentenced to this hell hole. She had just turned nine when she arrived. I looked at the photo in her file. She arrived here a pretty little girl with a terrified look on her plump face… She had long black pigtails when this picture was taken. Now her face was gaunt, pale grey from a decade in this abyss and away from the sun. She probably weighed less now than when she got here. Her shiny hair was short now and wiry. Usually they keep all their heads shaved. It kept the parasites away. She however had been neglected to the point where they hadn't touched her in a couple of months. No one looked in the small dark window; they just slid her food tray under the door. I wondered when the last time they bathed her was. Soon I figured, someone would notice. Maybe they didn't care. Maybe they hoped she would be dead before her maintenance was added to the attendants to do list.

I had memorized her chart. She was originally from Biloxi, Mississippi. It made me sad to think that she was so far from home. But the truth was, she no longer had a home. I understood that. Until recently, I hadn't had a home in centuries. It appeared that she did still have a family though. My family died before I became a vampire. Hers included her mother, father and a younger sister. It angered me that they had never been to see her, not once since she was committed.

Her diagnosis was schizophrenia. She had visions, visions of the future. The rest of the file contained the various methods used to _cure_ her. Some were humane, but most were barbaric. Bleeding, freezing and kicks to the head were thought to "shock" the illness from the patient's brain. None worked. As the abuse went on, she fell deeper and deeper into her own world to the point where she no longer talked or did much of anything. This explained why I had never heard any sounds from her. Usually the corridor was full of sound, even at night. Some rambled, some cried, the new ones screamed. But not a sound from her… I surmised that spending ten years here had done more damage than anything else. The system having failed her, washed their hands of little Mary Alice Brandon when she turned 18. She was moved into the hopeless ward.

It was late, for humans. She had been on my mind all day. I decided this was the night, and changed my plans. She didn't deserve being here, I rationalized. She deserved peace. I came through my usual window and headed to her cell. The door was open. The stench, a foul mixture of humane decay and products meant to curb the odor, was stronger in the hallway tonight. There was an attendant inside with a hose and bucket of bleach. This is what they did when one died. It was Mar Alice's cell. Part of me was happy she was gone; the other part wished I could have seen her once more. Her body was nowhere in site and I turned toward the morgue. I wanted to say goodbye. Then I caught her scent. No, she wasn't dead. It trailed down the hall towards the baths. Somebody finally noticed. Funny, I thought to myself, I would have guessed that they did that sort of thing during the day.

I followed the trail she had left. I caught the scent of her escort. He was a familiar odor here. I watched from window in the door. She was lying nude on the floor of the open showers. The man, about forty stood over her with a hose similar to what the other attendant was cleaning her cell with. With rubber gloves on, her dumped powder on her and began to scrub her naked little body with a hard bristled brush on a stick. Her eyes were open but she did not move nor make a sound as he cleaned her with less care than he would have a dog.

He turned around, looking anxious. I had just managed to get out of site. He shrugged and opened the door, walking out into the hallway.

"Hey, Earle," he yelled. "She's about ready."

Earle stuck his head out of her cell.

"Give me a second. I'm almost done here. I hope you got the stink off her Sam. I gagged during the last one."

"Beggars can't be choosers" the other man retorted.

I flitted in as he closed the door to the bath area. I hid behind one of the curtains that partitioned the room. The cleaning attendant came in a minute later, locking the door behind him. I watched as the men each grabbed one of her legs and drug her away from the drain.

"When was the last time she was shaved?"

"We'll do it afterward. They creep me out when their bald."

"I better not get lice from her Sam."

"I dumped enough disinfectant on her to clean the entire ward."

They threw her up on a low table. She didn't even twitch. One of the men started to strap her to the table.

"Why are you bothering Earl? Look at her."

"Don't you remember the last time Sam? She was the same way… until she wasn't."

Sam smirked," I thought that was the best part."

Earl continued to tie her down." Fine, go over to the door and stand guard. You can take them off and have her when I'm done."

As the one man headed toward the door, the other started to unbuckle his belt.

His hand never made it to his fly. I threw him up against the tile wall. He crumpled to the floor and did not move again.

I turned to face the one at the door. He was bigger that me. Maybe if I were human that would have matter. But I was not human. I grabbed him by the hair; my teeth tore into his throat. I had not tasted blood that was strong for a long while. The justice of destroying this fiend only enhanced the delicious flavor. Once he was drained, I casually walked over to the other one and kicked him in the side. I wanted him awake for this. He started to stir. The first one was lucky; he barely had time to register what was about to happen to him. The other one, Earle, looked up from the floor at me in horror. My eyes glowed red with the blood of his friend. I grinned savoring his expression. Monster I may be, but even in my darkest hours, I would have never committed atrocities like this.

"Please," he begged. "Don't kill me. I have a family."

"One you clearly don't deserve." His companion had dulled my bloodlust. I put my knee to his chest and grabbed his wrist. My plan was to sap him slowly. I would make sure he felt the fires of hell in this world before he crossed over to the next. He screamed for twenty minutes before the blood loss pulled him from consciousness. No one came to his aid. He was just another prisoner in this hole.

As I finished I looked up at her, lying on the table. Her skin was red and chaffed from the disinfectant. I cursed myself for not killing them sooner. Her head was turned in my direction. She had seen it all. Though she still said nothing, her eyes were open, and she smiled. Once I was sure the monster I drained slowly was dead — I would not unleash this beast into the world as an immortal — I got up, went over to what looked like a linen press and got a clean towel and gown for her out of it. Carefully I dried off her abused scratched body and pulled the nightgown over her head. I picked her up and carried her back to her cell. Holding her in my arms was not difficult. I had just fed on two grown men. I rocked her till she fell asleep, whispering in her ear.

"I find a way out of here for you, Alice."

**Though this is no longer the case, all the treatments and conditions of Athens Asyllum for the Insane occurred during the nineteen twenties and thirties when Alice would have been there. **


	2. Chapter 2

I came to the asylum every night now to be with her. It no longer pacified me just to look in from the hallway. I would sit on her cot and she would curl up beside me, unaware or unbothered by my cold skin and red eyes. I worried that, having seen me at my worst she would be scared of me. It surprised and pleased me that though she still never spoke, she appeared completely unafraid. After the incident, I got her chart every night, making sure that it was completed and returned it to the office. It terrified me that something would happen to her again in my absence. I would take care of her from now on. She would not ever eat the gruel they offered here again. I brought her food from town. I snuck her into the baths and washed her in one of the tubs as if she was an infant. I spent the nights holding her while she slept, and staying until my shift started.

I did not know why I felt this need. It had been four hundred years since I had someone that I really cared about. Months ago, when I realized that my situation was semi permanent and that I wanted to work at the asylum, I rented an apartment in Athens. It was a small town. I figured it would be less conspicuous to have an address. At first, residency was an odd experience for me. I didn't know how to interact within the walls of my home. Humans used houses to sleep, eat, and take care of themselves. I stole clothes when mine got to worn, broke into an empty home if I needed to clean up. Now forced away from her during the afternoon shift, I sat on my used furniture, book in hand, thinking about if she would like this place. It was an absurd thought. Surely if she knew what I was, she would be afraid, even in her mental state. Still I wished, wished for someone to be with, a family.

I had spent most of my existence outside and alone, a nomad in every sense of the word. Yes, I would occasionally come across one of my own. If I was lucky, they were female. However, there was never anyone that would hold my attention for long. A couple of years here, a decade or so there… There was never a scene when we parted. When my partners and I would tire of each other, we would cordially go our separate ways. I knew of others that had made eternal commitments, but no one ever appealed to me in that way.

This was a different relationship. I did not want her as a lover. She may have been eighteen, but in my mind, Mary Alice was still a child. I wanted to love and protect her, as her father should have. I wanted her to love me. I found myself needing her more and more each day. She drew me in as nothing else could.

I grappled with my feelings. I had few human memories. They were so long ago. Memories of my family were the most clear. My wife, I had loved her more than life itself. Perhaps my love for her kept me from finding another. I remembered our daughter too. Both had black hair, just like Mary Alice. My family had been gone for centuries, dying in the plague before I became a vampire.

What did I expect to get from this girl? I couldn't take her out of there. What would I be able to do for her? Even in the best circumstances, I would not be able to care for a child. This one was broken beyond repair. For some reason though, I could not give her the peace she so needed. So hungry or not, I came every night now, just to make sure she was safe.

It was well past a week since the incident here and things had gotten back to normal. Before I started my shift that morning, I had staged the bodies over the drain in the showers. I added a few more stab wounds, planted a couple scalpels and turned the water on. The gossip amongst the staff was that the two men must have got into a fight. The authorities assumed as I had hoped, the lack of blood was caused by the water taking it down the drain. Salacious rumors involving cheating spouses or money owed by one party or the other circulated the institution in the beginning. But after the first couple of days passed, the staff moved on. Apparently, the people that worked here mattered hardly more than the inmates they guarded.

It was early for me as I headed out for the evening. My room felt as much like a prison to me as Athens did. I had been gone from the place for only a few hours, but I was anxious to get back and check on her. More people were about than usual as I strolled down the street. It was still daylight, but I was unconcerned. The clouds hung heavy in the sky. Night would come early for the humans. The wind howled and they huddled in their coats, paying me no mind. I didn't bother putting my dark glasses on. I was happy not to have to wear them. I had not fed since _that night_ and my eyes had almost no red in them to reveal what I was. I would need to fix that and feed tonight. I was getting concerned for her safety as my thirst increased.

As I turned the corner toward the hospital, my nose caught the smell of one of my own. I froze in place, nostrils flared and the hair of the back of my neck standing at attention. The nomads of the north were not aggressive toward each other, but that knowledge was irrelevant to my survival instincts. I repressed the natural inclinations to protect my turf and I took another sniff…male. He must have just arrived. Probably came into town for some clothes or maybe to select someone to feed on. Some of us enjoyed stalking. I never did. Even when I fed on the healthy, I never made much of a show of it. I wanted to spend as little time as I could near my prey. Oh well. It wasn't any of my business how he sustained himself. My interest in him was purely curious. It had been a while that I had had company and I was well ahead of schedule. Mary Alice would be fine for a bit longer. I decided to see if I could track him down.

I followed his scent into one of the little diners I had been getting Mary Alice's dinner. Up until recently, I rarely went into places like these. The smell of decaying animal flesh turned my stomach. He was sitting in the last both with his back against the wall, nursing a cup of coffee. For a vampire he seemed somewhat plain. His sandy hair and pleasant face blended in much better than I did. Human women were always drawn to me.

As I approached he turned to me with a smile." I thought I picked up on something when I got into town."

"I caught you a couple blocks from my apartment."

He motioned to the seat across from himself and I sat down. "My name is James." His attitude was friendly, but I heard a slight underlying tension in his voice. He was measuring me up, trying to determine the threat I might pose.

"Mine is Thomas" I returned.

"As in Saint Thomas?"

"Hardly," I said with a grim smile. "Nice to make your acquaintance, James. It has been a while since I've seen a friendly face."

"How's the hunting in the area?"

"Plentiful." I replied, looking at his dark eyes. His posture relaxed further. I had made it clear that I did not consider this territory mine.

The waitress came up to our table. Her nametag read Lily. She looked in her twenties, pretty for a human, fair skinned with auburn hair and green eyes. She had taken my to go order up at the cash register several times now. I thought she seemed like a nice girl. We had spoken casually on those occasions while the cooks prepared Mary Alice's Dinner.

"First time I've seen you get past the front door. What can I get you honey?" Her face flushed as she looked at me. I shouldn't have came in here so thirsty. The scent of her made my mouth water. The delicate pink glow looked delicious. Neither her mouth-watering appeal nor my response to it escaped my new friend's attention.

James smiled politely at her. "My friend looks a bit thirsty to me."

His words pulled me out of the aromatic trance. I did not feed on women such as her. "I'll have a coffee." I told the girl curtly.

"No sandwich and pie for your dinner break?" Lily flipped over the cup on the table and poured, eyeing the lunch box that sat beside me in the booth. She was smiling at me when she bent down. I shot her a murderous glare, not responding to her question. I wanted her nowhere near us. Her face turned frightened and she moved quickly from our table.

The vampire across from me cocked his head to the side, most likely wondering about the change in my expression. He leered at the young girl as she walked back toward the counter. "Not to your liking? She looks pretty tasty to me."

"I have other plans for this evening." I replied.

"Oh, do you have a favored spot?"

"I usually stick to where I work."

"You work?" James asked curious. "How intriguing. Where?"

I hesitated, debating on whether to answer him.

"You don't need to tell me." He smiled apologetically. "It's just that I have never heard of one of us gainfully employed."

There was no point in not answering him. My daily schedule made the trail from my apartment to work strong. Other than a couple diners and the library, I rarely went anywhere else. I shook off the paranoia of how easy he could track me there if he wanted to. He was just making conversation. "I work up the road at the State Insane Asylum."

He looked impressed. "And you don't bring attention upon yourself? How do you manage it?"

"They lose a few every month one way or another" I replied nonchalant.

As I said the words, an odd sensation washed over me. It wasn't paranoia. I felt defensive, territorial. Not about the asylum so much… I search my feelings. It was Mary Alice. I was worried for her. James noticed my mood changed almost immediately.

"And you're not of a mind to share?"

"No, that's not a problem, not tonight at least. I haven't fed there in almost two weeks." I replied dismissively. I did not want to cause an issue. I went there to ease my conscience. There were plenty to choose from. If he fed there tonight as well, maybe Lily would make it home safe tonight.

"It sounds… educational. Would you mind if I tagged along with you?"

"You're welcome to join me. However, it will be a little while before we can go in. There are also a few rules that I must enforce, to remain inconspicuous. I hope you don't mind."

"Naturally, that won't be a problem." He said smoothly as he threw change down for our coffee.

We headed out of the diner and headed toward my apartment. It would be a few hours before it was safe to wander in the upper floors, even for us.

**I'd love to hear from you if you are enjoying this story. I only got 2 reviews. If you think I shouldn't bother continuing it, let me know as well.**


	3. Chapter 3

James seemed friendly enough. He asked how long I had been in the area. I lied and told him not long, and that I would probably move on soon. He looked around at my shabby home. There wasn't much there, but for one of us, it was a lot. His hand grazed my radio. He flipped over the book I had been reading, chuckling when he saw the library stamp on it. I felt as if I were being examined. I half expected his next move would be to check my closet. He must have sensed my anxiety. He turned and smiled apologetically, trying to ease my fears.

"I'm sorry. It must appear as if I am being intrusive. Aside from clothing, it's been forever and a day since I have owned anything."

"Don't worry about it." I replied calmly. It was irritating, but I understood his curiosity. Up until recently, I too had few possessions.

We both relaxed further and slipped into a friendly conversation. James it seemed traveled extensively, moving back and forth regularly between Europe and what was now called The Soviet Union and this continent. He considered himself an adventurer, journeying through the Mexico, fascinated by the wars in the south. Since making my way to the new world a couple hundred years ago, I had stuck primarily to North America. He had just come from Siberia, arriving in Ohio via northern Canada, not really having any place in mind that he was heading. I told him I had been in Canada often myself. Movement there in the winter was easy. You had to stay out of site for only a couple of hours. However, I felt it had its limitations when it came to food.

"Nonsense, there's always a hunter getting ate by a bear in them parts." He said grinning broadly.

As the afternoon turned to evening, our discussion seemed amicable enough. James knew several of the North American nomads I too was acquainted with. We traded information on the news on the goings on in the vampire world. He seemed very interested when I told him I heard the Volturri had been down Mexico City again about a year ago, cleaning up some mess. He filled me in on the immortals of Europe and Northern Asia.

It was rare for two vampires to be together any amount of time before the subject of our transformation came up.

"My transformation took place in the fall of 1456 in England," I said staring out the window of my little living room. "From what I could remember I had a reasonably happy life. At least until the fever spread that spring through the small village my family and I lived in. My wife went three days before my daughter.

"The toll of losing both of them devastated me. As soon as they were buried, I left my village and headed to London.

"I think I was suicidal, but to weak to do it myself. I roamed the White Chapel area of the city." It was only a nameless slum then. The vampire attacks that humans knew as the work of Jack the Ripper had not occurred yet.

"I went from tavern to tavern drunk in search of a way to end my pain. Then, I came across her. Her beauty was in such contrast to the surrounding squalor.

"She looked into my eyes 'I can take your pain away'. She said it with certainty; as if she recognized inoquivently the agony that I was in." I smiled grimly at the hazy memory. Drink had a strong hold on me that night. I had thought maybe that this pale ethereal vision before me was my Annie, sent down from heaven to rescue me from my misery.

"I stared into her black eyes, believing her completely. As we stood up to go another, equally stunning woman with fiery red hair joined us. "

" 'Sorry, I got here first.' the raven haired angel said to the other. The red haired one was clearly displeased. There may have been more conversation between the two women, but I was a bit too intoxicated to care. The red head left and the dark angel took me by the hand, leading me out of the tavern. I stumbled along beside her as she turned down a dark alley.

"I stared, bleary eyed at her. Her black eyes bore into me. I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to. She smiled as her pale hands touched my cheek, 'I promise, the pain will be gone soon,' then she picked me up off the ground and we flew to the roof of the building.

"She leaned in as if to kiss my neck. I felt her tear into my neck. Yes, she had come to take away the pain. However, just as I thought that death would take me, she flew off me. I looked up, half-conscious to see the other vampire from the tavern just as I started to feel the fire inside me.

"It must have been a long battle. By the time she returned to me it was too late, the transformation was too far along. I begged her to kill me anyway, but she wouldn't. Having never transformed anyone before, she was disinclined to destroy me."

James's voice brought me back to the present. "What became of your maker?"

"I stayed with her for a couple of years. Like me, she did not seem interested in a permanent relationship. We would occasionally cross paths when I was in Europe, but I haven't seen her since I came to the Americas."

"So, how about you James?"

"My story is not nearly as interesting as two women fighting over me."

I chuckled. "Maybe you missed the part about the fight was to decide which one got to kill me."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. My story is nothing like yours. A happy accident, no theatrics. Just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. "

I hid my disgust at his words. Many of our kind felt this way. I was growing suspicious of his again though. His blasé tone led me to believe that there was a lot that he was hiding. However, he was starting to get on my nerves and I no longer was interested enough to inquire further.

*****

It was 2am when we both climbed in my window at the asylum. On our way, I explained to James my reasons for selecting places such as this. He seemed incredulous that I would care about what I killed. It didn't bother me much. He was hardly the first. It wasn't like I was out to convert anyone. I fed the way I did to ease my conscious and no one else's. Once inside I lead him upstairs, heading straight toward the elderly ward. I wanted to check on Mary Alice, but not with him here. I was glad that this took us in the opposite direction of her. I had scoped out a few humans clearly close to the end earlier this week. I had already selected two possible candidates, not committing to one or the other. Well, I guess it was going to be both of them now.

WE ghosted down the hallway toward the nurse's station. This was their lunch break. With no administrators around, it usually ran extra long. I went around the counter pulling the charts I had in mind and we headed toward their beds.

"This ward is always the easiest." I told James quietly. "Most of the older folks sleep through the night. If one happened to wake, witnessing me while I am feeding on another, no one will believe them anyhow. If they were in really bad shape and not likely to stir, I put them on gurneys, head them to the morgue, and drained them there, marking that their blood had already been removed. The morgue staff is not here at night. I take the bodies down to the drawers, and then prepared the corpse as the staff would for internment.

"No one wonders why they are taken care of?" James asked

"No," I replied. "In an undermanned and overburden place like this, no one ever questions anything too closely. They're just grateful that they aren't the ones having to do the work. Few of these people are sent to funeral homes, but it is important to cover all my bases. I try to take extra care, selecting ones that have no relatives, or at least ones that have never visited. They cremate them generally within a day or two."

James was surprised at the planning involved.

"Why do you bother?" he asked. "There are places like this all over the country."

"I like it here. I'm sure I'll move on in a few months, but for now, this is convenient and comfortable."

His expression told that he knew I was hiding something. I tossed him a scalpel as we walked into the darkened ward.

"And this is for?"

"I puncture the artery rather than bite. It leaves a noticeable scar. Try to avoid the carotid, too easy to detect." I hoped the waitress in the diner appreciated what I was putting up with tonight. "I usually aim for the femoral artery. The radial one is pretty good too. I can hide that with hose the humans use to drain them."

I pointed out James' kill for the night. She was seventy-five. Hardening of the arteries... Her husband had died ten years ago. They had no children.

I went in search of mine as I saw James stared briefly at the top of the old woman's thigh, shutter, and puncture her elbow instead and begin to feed. I hurried and took care of my needs on a seventy eight year old man with senility. I grabbed a gurney and headed back to James.

"Surely you can't enjoy doing this."

"It sustains me" I answered him coolly.

"And the taste… stale! Old weak blood."

"No one said you had to come with me tonight" My tone was acerbic. I had had enough of this guy. Glad that he found our little adventure to his disliking, I hoped he would be on his way soon.

"Anything fresher to snack on?"

"No," I retorted with more aggressive tone than I should have used. I modulated my voice and continued. "I don't want to draw suspicion. Two bodies is not a problem for one night. More than that may raise questions."

We stared at each other in awkward silence.

"My shift starts soon. I will clean this up if you like. Do I need to show you the way out?"

"No, I can find my way."

I rushed to get the corpses down to morgue. I didn't do my regular routine; I just shoved them in a drawer. I was anxious. I wanted to make sure he was gone. I caught his scent and followed it toward where we came in. He did not turn when he should have. I trailed him through the hall and downstairs… where she was. I cursed under my breath, filled with fear, fear for Mary Alice. What had I done?

I ran toward her cell. His scent grew stronger as I went. The door to her cell was hanging open. He was leaned over her about to bite.

She lay motionless, still sleeping in her bed. "Why are you here?" I snarled at James, revealing my teeth. Mary Alice's eyes flew open in response to my voice.

He turned and stood up, a sneer on his lips. "Your trail was stronger in this area. I thought that maybe you were holding out on me. This one," he took a deep breath and pointed to Alice, "smells particularly good… mouthwatering in fact"

My lips pulled away from my teeth. "Don't touch her!" I roared, as I shot off like a bullet and threw him through the open door. He hit the opposite wall with a loud bang, cracking the brick. Immediately he jumped off the floor into a crouch. I pulled back into her cell. He would have to go through me to get her.

"How interesting, a challenge. I do love a challenge"

"She's mine." I snarled

"Your what, snack?"

"I told you, she's mine! Take someone else if you're still thirsty, but just leave her be."

"And you think you are the one to dictate orders to me."

"Look, I'm not interested in any problems, just leave right now and there won't be any."

"Ah, but you don't understand St. Thomas, problems are the stuff life is made of."

A feral snarl slid out of his twisted smile as he moved from side to side, looking for the best way to get through the door. In many ways, the cell made a good defensive position. The only way of getting to her, was to come at me straight on.

"I wasn't completely honest with you St. Thomas. My transformation was not by accident. I had been a hunter while I was still mortal. I lived for the game. And I was good, very good at it. However, I wanted more. I wanted to test myself, hunt the monsters I read about in myths and legends. I knew that would be impossible as a human."

I could feel my eyes widen in alarm at the vampire I was facing. He was a tracker, and I had led him straight to Mary Alice. How could I protect her?

"I had heard the stories, the legends of the vampire. I decided to act. I sought one of our kind out. Yes, I was aware of the risks. That was the best part. The challenge of finding a vampire that would not kill me, but would make me the ultimate hunter. I was lucky and found such a creature.

"Since that time, I have traveled the world, seeking out challenges wherever I can." His voice turned mocking and sighed. "I guess I will just have to make do with you."

This would not end until one of us was dead.

We both stared each other down, preparing for battle

The sound of the locks turning alerted us to the humans. It was almost shift change. The attendants were making final rounds. James and I pulled ourselves up straight. We both knew the rules. There would be too many witnesses.

"Until next time, St. Thomas." He said calmly in that horribly pleasant voice and disappeared down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Her eyes were still wide open, staring at me.

"I'm so sorry Alice."

I scooped her up, blanket and all and ran from the building. There were humans workers everywhere now. The morning shift had arrived and the night staff was more conspicuous, in the halls heading for home. Grateful for her silence, I slipped in and out of empty rooms, making my way toward an exit of any kind as long as it was away from the parking lot. I flew thru the administration offices. They were never here until after eight in the morning and got out through a window. Once outside, I searched for his scent. It headed east. I turned and went west.

What was I going to do? It was cold out. I had a barely clothed catatonic child in my arms. The night stars still shown bright. I could not see the sun on the horizon, but its pink tint told me all I needed to know. No cloud cover.

I wasn't sure what this James meant by 'until next time', but it had been clear that Alice was the eventual goal and that he hoped for me to try to defend her. He was right about that. I looked down at Mary Alice's tiny trembling body in my arms. First priority was to get her warm and a place to hide. But where? I had to find somewhere out of the weather for her so I could think.

I had never had to hide from anyone, ever. It was a strange feeling. Being a nomad in the north, I never even been in a fight. Most of us got along. There was plenty to go around here and lots of territory to do so without attracting attention. As I ran, I considered what I knew would soon occur. We would fight to the death. The prize would be Mary Alice. I felt it was a fair match between James, and me but protecting Alice at the same time would hamper my ability to fight. Going back to my room was out of the question. It would be the first place he looked if he intended on harming her. I could break into a store and get something for her; nothing would be open for hours. But his scent went in that direction. I would have to steal something in the area.

I knew I was not overreacting, I thought as I ran through the flat terrain that defined this state. The way he looked at her. Crappy meal or not, he had just fed. The look in his eye was ravenous, as if he had not hunted in weeks. I had noticed her delicious floral scent myself. It was what drew me to her that first night. Carrying her so close to my chest, breathing in her luscious aroma, it appalled me that I too thought she would make a nice meal. I pushed the monstrous idea out of my head and sped up.

I came up to a large field. Standing in the corner of it was a farmhouse. I looked perfect for my needs. We could not linger here long, but I hoped the family living there would have some child her age, or at least her size. As I entered the yard, the animals in the barn caught my scent, clucking and mooing in panic. Damn it! I gave up on stealth and focused on speed. I needed my hands free, so I hurled us up to the loft in the noisy barn, placing her shivering body in the straw. I threw some on top of her to help keep her heat in as well as camouflage her. A light in the main house switched on. I would only have a few minutes to get what I needed.

I leaped from the loft back down to the yard and dashed forward to the house. I listened to the sounds of a human man scuffling about in his bedroom. I figured he was looking for something to put on so he could head outside and check the barn.

I went through the unlocked back door, into a kitchen and sniffed. Yes, there was at least one female here.

"I'm just going to check what the racket is outside," a sleepy voice grumbled. "You stay in bed honey, I'll be right back."

I listened to the sound of the human lumbering down the steps. He yawned as he stuffed his feet into a pair of boots and clomped thru the hall. I pressed myself against the wall beside the door leading into the kitchen, waiting for him to open it. I flitted through before it shut behind a man with a stubbled face, wearing an old work jacket over his pajamas and carrying a shotgun over his shoulder. Other than quietly beating hearts, there was no other sound or movement upstairs, so I made my way up to where the bedrooms most likely were. I passed by the first door. There was light coming from underneath, probably the farmer's bedroom. I followed the scent of what I thought was a girl to the attic. I took a quick look at her. She rolled over upon my entrance but fortunately for both of us, did not awaken. A little bit big, but her clothes would do the job. I headed to a wardrobe and grabbed a couple of sweaters, a skirt and some stockings. I doubted this girl's shoes would fit Alice's tiny little feet. The farmer was still outside. I dashed back down the way I came. Another light turned on in the barn. He must be checking on the animals. The farmer nowhere in sight, I opened the kitchen door.

As soon as the door opened, I smelled him. James had tracked us here. I estimated he couldn't be more than a quarter mile away. I silently leapt up into the window where Mary Alice was lying and began dressing her.

"What are you all in a fuss over?" The farmer was still in the barn, looking around in the stalls. I heard him cock his shotgun, hesitantly walking around below us. I prayed to a God that I stopped believing in centuries ago that he would not come up here. At that moment, the chicken coop erupted into bedlam. The farmer turned and headed out of the barn.

James was here. I knew I would not be able to outrun him carrying Alice in my arms. I considered taking the nightgown and blanket I had just removed from her and running, leading him away from Mary Alice, leading him away from all these people. Would he follow? Would the scent of the hay and the other child's clothes be strong enough to hide hers? Before I could consider any other alternative, the farmer's voice echoed in the early morning air.

"Is there some reason you are on my land at six o'clock in the morning?"

I peered out into the yard from the loft window. There was James, walking nonchalant up to the farmer who had the gun raised. The poor fellow…

"I looking for someone" James said in a tone one might use to ask directions to the library.

"St. Thomas?" he sneered. "This was hardly worth my effort. Just bring down your delicious smelling friend and let us get this over with. No point in causing problems for yourself over some human."

"Who in the hell are you talking to?" The man pointed the gun directly into James' chest.

"Certainly not to you." He said dismissively. He continued to speak directly to me, ignoring the man.

"How about a trade? This man for her. Granted he does not smell as good, but he has a family, she has nobody but you. "

The sun cleared the horizon. James' face glittered, his eyes glistened red from our recent meal.

The man gasped in horror "What the hell are you?"

James teeth gleamed in the pink light of the rising sun as he laughed in the farmer's face.

Before he could respond, a shotgun blast rang through the yard. The farmer flinched. I could smell blood.

James inhaled deeply and licked his lips. "So much tastier than that repulsive old woman you gave me tonight." He took another deep breath. "But it pales in comparison to the desert you have hiding up in that hay loft."

Buckshot had ricocheted off James and back on to the man. I stopped breathing, forcing myself to control my bloodlust and remain in the loft protecting Alice.

James chuckled and took another step closer to the man. He cocked the gun, firing it again directly at James' head. This time James just ducked out of the way.

"Now look what you done." James mocked laughing and taking yet another step closer to the doomed man. "The whole brood is up."

Witnesses. Indeed, the house lights were all on now. The gun went off again. The man's family was staring through windows at what should have been him shooting a trespasser at point blank range… should have been. The farmer's body flinched again and he dropped to his knees. As close as he was to James he had to be full of buckshot. He staggered back up to his feet. He was making a last stand to protect his family.

James knocked the gun from his hand laughing. "Now look what you have done to my shirt." He grabbed the man by the hair latching on to his neck. Even with the windows closed, the screams inside the house pierced the air, drowning out my own desire for the blood spreading on his chest where his coat lay open, for the blood pulsing from the man's neck, down James' throat.

"Ah…So much tastier than that dreadful meal you offered me earlier, Thomas." He taunted as he flung the man's drained corpse aside. "You realize that this is all you fault. We could have done this easy, but now…" he motioned to the door of the house.

I knew right then they were already dead. I could not hope to lure him away. He had to clean up after himself. He would kill them all then track us down later. There was only one way to save them. I had to face him head on.

I was not afraid of him. I was no coward. After 500 years, death would be a welcome friend, the fulfillment of the desire I had longed for so many years ago. But what about Mary Alice? I had to make her safe. I could not guarantee that I could win. If I did not survive, neither would she. I knew if he somehow escaped me, he would find her. I faced the reality that I could not take care of her the way she was. I would not return her to that place. There was only one choice. I realized right there it was a choice that I had been making subconsciously all this time by keeping her alive. Yes, to change her would doom her to the same existence as me, but to leave her, as she was, broken and alone… That was a fate worse than death.

"The clock is ticking, Thomas." James sneered, "How do they do it in the movies? I'll give till the count of ten. The little tasty one… or this lovely family. You choose."

"One,"

I quickly threw the straw off her.

"Two,"

I looked into her sky blue eyes. "It's going to be alright." I said as I bent down and kissed her forehead

"Three,"

My lips went to her wrist. The bloodlust raged in me as the sweet nectar or her blood ran down my throat.

"Four,"

His counting was what stopped me from killing her myself. He would not get her. I took vicious pleasure that one way or another she would be safe from him. My tongue ran over the wound I had just made, the venom sealing it.

"Five,"

"It won't hurt for long." I stroked her cheek, knowing that it was a lie. I was surprised that she hadn't started screaming already.

"Six,"

I pulled her up into my arms and held Mary Alice for the last four seconds. I wanted as much time as I could for the process to start. I knew it was working. I could already smell it.

"Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten…"

"I love you Alice." I whispered, turned and went to face him.

**I'd like to thank everyone that has taken the time to read this. I mostly do one shots and this is my first real chapter story. I especially want to that all those that put it on their alert list and reviewed it. Feel free to add your self to my graditude list by clicking ont that little revie button yourself and letting me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologize for the delay. I hate people that start a serial and don't update on a regular basis. My computer, born in 2001, finally succumbed to old age about 4 or 5 hours prior to posting this chapter. My new one arrived on Tuesday, but as you can imagine I needed a little time to get things where they should be. **

**This new chapter is from a different voice. I thought James should get his nasty evil turn. **

The second he kicked open the loft door I knew. How dare he turn her? Enraged at my own incompetence for giving him time to destroy my prize, I bellowed, knowing that the game was over. The scent of transformation had already begun to rob my prey of her powerful aroma. The family who had just witnessed the destruction of the human at my feet, stared open mouthed through the windows. Fear for their own lives had finally silenced their annoying screams. I was glad I pulled their phone wires out. It would give me plenty of time to deal with this pathetic excuse of a vampire. It was an isolated place, the fields and orchard cut into a well forested area. There were no other human scents for miles around.

He had accomplished what no other creature had ever. He had beaten me. My mind took a moment to adjust to the shock. I had hunted what ever I desired for over five hundred years, winning the game being much more important than the prize. But this was a prize I desired above all else. My fury over my loss to him of all people was staggering. I had originally dismissed him as a creature not worthy of me granting him the title of opponent. It was an honor I bestow rarely and I felt no different now. Hospitals, old age homes… I was disgusted by his weakness. It was almost as if he categorized himself as one of them, a mere human. My anger got the best of me and I roared again.

No one had ever beaten me. There had to be repercussions. If I couldn't have her, I damn sure was going to have him.

I stepped over the dead man that I had just fed on. "So, St. Thomas," I said as we both got down into our hunting crouches. "You've stolen her away from me."

"She was never yours to take."

"I disagree. And now the game has changed."

I had considered the vampire standing before me only a minor obstacle. It was the aroma of her blood, so sweet just its memory burned my throat that began this contest. Now it was fading second by second, just yards away. I would destroy this vampire, his punishment for robbing me of my prize. I shifted to the left, searching for my first move… or his. Thomas repositioned himself, closer to the barn, snapping at me, still protecting his little pet.

I would use what I knew of him, his need to cling to what he once was, a weak creature with a short and miserable existence. I lifted my nose toward the house and inhaled.

"Children… Can you smell them Thomas? Hmm… I haven't had a small child in ages. Their scent of their blood is so fresh and unblemished. Don't you agree?"

His own roar shook the surrounding forest. I laughed realizing my plan would work. Not only was his goal to protect the girl laying silent in the barn, but the humans in the house as well. How bizarre. He would willingly give up his existence, not for the thrill of battle, but to protect them all. Maybe the girl held some attraction over him, but the four remaining humans in the house had to hold no meaning what so ever. They were strangers in every sense of the word. He pulled back to his original position, between the two buildings. I expected to hear something from him, to plead for their lives, to try to bargain. How could he not realize he would be no match for me? But the only sound that came from him now was a low hiss.

"You can't possibly believe you can pro…

He plowed straight into me, throwing me fifty yards from the house and barn. The directness of his attacked took me by surprise.

I cursed myself as I landed on my feet, no longer taking for granted his genteel manner. Two mistakes in one day. Well, I would not allow myself a third.

"A little more spunk in you than I imagined." I sneered

"Shut up," He snarled, stalking toward me.

"Come now, Thomas. You won't be able to keep me away from them all indefinitely."

"If I destroy you, it won't be a problem."

Yes, he truly believed he had a chance. We moved in close to each other preparing for combat, my body tingled with anticipation. This might be more fun than I thought.

"You got lucky on that first move, but trust me, it won't happen again."

We circled each other at the far edge of the yard. I began to strategize. Where were his weak spots? Usually I waited for my opponent to strike… or run. He did neither. I lunged at his left arm. He maneuvered around my teeth adeptly, positioning himself closer to the dirt road that cut thru the forest that led to town. I came in closer and he backed up, on to the road. Was he going to run? I stalked forward and he retreated, crossing into the forest. Further and further, I pushed him into the trees. He still did not counter attack, just evaded my attempts. We were just out of site of the house when I heard it.

"Run, Joey."

It came as a whisper. Humans that would have been upstairs in the house would not have been able to hear it. The front door creaked slightly and the sound of small feet woke to me what Thomas was doing. He was buying them time. He was drawing me away from the house, hoping that he was giving them the opportunity to escape. I was incredulous with the realization that every move he made was about protecting the humans.

I would use this against him. I went along, appearing as if I neither notice or care about the escaping child. I allowed him to herd me farther and farther into the woods. Finally, I made one more lunge toward him. He dodged as he had previously, but I blew past him and sped back toward the house. I pulled myself straight toward the scent in the field where a young boy with sandy colored hair was running as fast as his human legs would carry him. My opponent was four and a half seconds behind me. I grabbed the child mid stride. He was to started by my quickness to scream. Balancing my human spear for just a moment, I turned and flung his limp body straight at my adversary behind me. He was not expecting this. Humans were so pitifully fragile. Thomas tried to slow his movements, to catch the child rather than to block, but to no avail. I had thrown him too hard. Thomas' hand caught him by the neck, snapping off the boy's head and crushing the body into his own chest.

Blood and tissue from the body's impact and beheading splattered him. Its freshness burned my throat, trying to pull me from the fight to taste it. But my need was nothing compared to my opponents. Thomas groaned. Most of the blood was on his clothing, but a fair amount touched his face.

"I thought you were trying to save these people." I snickered.

His face was contorted with guilt as strong as his blood-lust.

"We were gods on this earth and this is how you use your divine right?"

I took advantage of his situation and hurled forward. Pain shot thru my arm as he dived out of the way, twisting and latching on to me. Half the fingers on my left hand were now missing. It was what I needed. The agony of my injury, far from weakening me, invigorated me. This creature was in deed the challenge that I had been searching for the last few months.

We began to circle each other. I would no longer taunt him. All my effort was needed to concentrate, to look for any chink in his armor. The battle lasted for some time. We came at each other over and over. I tore a piece of his arm off, as he got a piece of my shoulder. It went on and on like this, both of us taking damage, neither of us able to get in the fatal blow.

I aimed low knocking him to the ground and I caught taking a chunk his leg in my teeth as I overshot him, flipping on to my back. He was too gripped on his own pain to take advantage of my momentary defenseless condition. I pulled my self up and leapt on him. He tried throwing me off but all he could manage was to roll on top of me. We struggled on the ground at a complete dead lock. I had to think, to find something to make him lose his concentration.

"These humans are not your family Thomas. You can't bring them back."

He lashed out catching my ear instead of my neck. It was only a momentary break in concentration, but it was enough. As the pain of my ear ripping away from my head pierced me, I twisted and my teeth bore down on his throat. The game was over in an instant, his head broke from his body and bounced away.

I pushed his headless corpse off me. The arms and legs convulsed. As best as I could do thru my pain, I dismembered him, his arms already beginning to regain certain instinctual defenses.

I got to my feet, unable to stand up straight. I knew it was only temporary. It took me a few seconds to find the lighter that I always carried in my shirt pocket. The fight had sent it a couple hundred yards from where I was standing. I gathered up the larger parts of his body that I could find and dragged them to dirt path that lead off the road to the house. The rest I would pick up later. Fear of accidentally lighting the dry field on fire and destroying appendages of my own forced me to not do it there. I fought through the pain as I dumped his head, torso and legs down in the barren ground. Going into the barn for some hay for kindling, I could no longer smell the scent of my prize. It was now totally obliterated by the transformation process. I should have been angry, however I found myself oddly pleased. After all, if the contest was what I enjoyed most in life, Thomas had managed to give me a good fight. I returned outside and threw the hay on top of his twitching corpse. Doing the best I could to turn the wheel of the lighter with my mangles fingers, I set the pyre aflame.

Now that my opponent was ablaze I turned to my own needs. The scent of fear wafted from the house. I limped around the cold drained body I had already fed on and opened the back door into the kitchen. I followed the warm delicious aroma, listened to the three remaining hearts beating frantically. They were hiding in the storm cellar. A small child sobbed quietly and I could hear a woman trying to keep her quiet.

These humans were right about one thing. A storm was indeed coming.

******

Full of the blood of five humans I felt invigorated. I returned to the field, gathering up my fingers, ear and several other missing parts. Clean up was my next priority. I did not want to linger here long. Unlike my opponent smoldering in the driveway, five human bodies would take a while to incinerate. I took a shovel with me, but cast it aside quickly and used my newly reattached fingers. The ground was still too frozen to dig with the implement. I dumped the bodies together in the large pit that I carved from the frozen earth, covered it over and went one last time into the barn.

I climbed into the loft and started down at her quiet form. It surprised me that she wasn't screaming in agony. She didn't even look conscious. I considered destroying her as well. However, now that she had nothing I wanted, I felt indifferent the idea. I thought of Thomas, so willing to give up his life for this human. He was, in the end a worthy opponent. I decided to grant him his wish.

"Goodbye Alice. Maybe we will meet again some day"

**Did I gross you out too much? ****Did I make him evil enough?**** I would love to know.**** I always figured he lied about the vampire that turned Alice. I wanted him to be kind and brave. James says in Twilight that the vampire that turned Alice was old and weak. I want to think that he was lying, unwilling to admit that someone like Thomas would come that close to besting him. James is such a scumbag.  
**

**My son wishes to let everyone know that "You got lucky on that first move, but trust me, it won't happen again." was his contribution to the story so I am taking care of that right now.**

**Once again I would like to thank everyone for their patience. Alice will be waking up next week. I hope you like what she sees. IF you really want to make my day, the review button is right there. You know what to do.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

I was sitting on a bar stool at the counter of a luncheonette. The door to the diner opened and I spun around on my seat in anticipation. It was pouring outside. I could see the rain and the wind lashing at the large picture windows of the diner. People were hurrying by, clutching their umbrellas or huddle over, trying to protect themselves from the weather. But the man that opened the door, the man that I knew I was waiting for, walked in unaffected, as though it was a calm clear day. He was young, very tall with light blond hair. His skin was especially pale skin and his eyes coal black. Rain darkened the shoulders of the grey trench coat and hat that complimented his long lithe frame.

The first thing I notice as I took in his alabaster face under his dripping hat were the scars. Faint semi-circular shapes marred the square line of his jaw. Similar small crescents also appeared above his left eyebrow. His collar was turned up, but it could not completely hide the damage to his neck, more extensive than what was on his face. He looked like he had been mauled by some sort of animal. Yet in spite of this, and maybe a little because of it, he was beautiful. I could not take my eyes off him. He had the look of someone that had been at war for all eternity, like the archangel Michael or Gabriel. I began to muse that his mutilated face was from some celestial battle.

He ventured further into the diner. His dark eyes darted from one end of the room to the other, finally centering on me. I hopped off my seat and walked toward him smiling. He showed no fear in his coal black eyes, however his expression became guarded, as if he were about to defend himself from an attack. I knew it was impolite to do this to a perfect stranger, but I reach out slowly to touch his face, to speak to this warrior angel to see if he was real. I wanted to tell him there would be no more battles. He would have peace.

*****

It had all been a dream. As my fingers made their way to his face, he vanished. Frightened, I bolted the corner of a room completely different then the one I had just been. It was a hayloft. I could smell the cows and the horses in the barn below. Away from the distraction of the angel in my dream, I swallowed wincing. My throat burned with a thirst so strong that immediately I could think of nothing but its relief. I jumped down from the loft and I began to look water of any kind. The animals in the barn retreated as far as they could from me in terror. Distracted momentarily from my search, it amazed me that not only could I see the panic in theirs eyes, but I could smell it. I could smell their fear.

Like the angel in my dream, my eyes quickly darted through out the barn. There was a hand pump and a hose near a trough that I assumed was used to take care of the inhabitants. I was disoriented from the fact that as soon as I began to approach the pump, I was there. Being so parched, I didn't waste time pondering this and began to move the handle up and down. Maybe if I could relive this thirst I could think straight, figure out what was going on. Soon, water flowed from the black hose, but as I put my face to it, the odor pulled me away. Maybe there was something wrong with the well here.

Walking out of the barn, my focus pivoted to a scent that made my already aching throat burst into flames. Instinctually, I knew that whatever this was, it would be the key to making the ache go away. At the same time however, it didn't smell quite right. The odor was old and with an aroma of faint decay, nevertheless I knew it was what I needed.

I followed the smell, searching for the source for my relief. It seemed everywhere but was strongest in the yard in between the house and the barn, the pain in my throat intensified as I drew nearer to it. The source appeared to be coming from the ground itself. I got down on my hands and knees sniffing the earth. I followed an ever strengthening trail that led out to a field and a large mound of turned up dirt and ice. My raging need possessed me and I clawed deep into the frozen soil with my fingers, desperate for some reprieve and feeling certain that whatever this rotting smell was, it would eased my pain. The first thing that I unearthed was a hand. I pulled back in terror, the burning in my throat extinguished by the horror of what I had just done. Far faster that I thought possible, I fled from the field, back to the house.

The smell that drew me to the field was here as well, but it was different. It was not as strong and did not contain the scent of which I now determined was that of death. I was scared to call out. People don't just bury people like that. I was afraid that whoever had killed that person in the field could be in the house, and they would hurt me too. But my needs overrode me fear, the sweet aroma drawing me to the back door. I turned the handle. The door was unlocked and I walked cautiously into the kitchen. A large wooden table sat in the middle of the room surrounded by six chairs. I opened the icebox but shut it quickly. The smell of death and decay was as strong in there as it was in the field. I walked thru another door out of the kitchen that led into a dining room and then a parlor.

As I walked from room to room, I began to distinguish that it was not just one scent that had pulled me out to the field and into the house, but several. I climbed the stairs, praying that I could discover whatever these smells were that made me so thirsty that it clawed at my sanity. The first room I peeked into was a little boy's bedroom. A baseball mitt and ball lay on the end of a small unmade bed, the handmade quilt crumpled to the side. A pair of blue jeans draped over the chair by the little desk that had a half built toy truck on top. Further down the hall was another door hanging open. This room was clearly a nursery. There was a crib, and a rocking chair inside. Baby sheep adorned the wallpaper. I turned the handle of the door opposite the nursery. I entered into a bathroom and zeroed in on the sink. I turned on the faucet and put my mouth down into the stream. Just as the hose outside, it did not smell like what I needed, but I was desperate. But as quickly as I swallowed, I choked and cough, spitting up the small amount that I had manage to get down.

I looked up from the sink and froze in terror. The reflected image facing me frightened me more than at anytime since I opened my eyes. My eyes… they were vivid red. I stared into the mirror, touching my skin. It was pale and hard. Where the sun that streamed thru the window shown on it, it sparkled as if encrusted with diamonds. I touched my short hair carefully; relieved that the pieces that were stuck pointed together were not dangerous spikes.

Pieces of the puzzle began to click together. The scent that had drew me to the field and the scent that wafted throughout the house were one and the same thing. I knew immediately that there was no need to look for people in here to help me. They were all outside, buried in the field. I stared at my demonic reflection in the mirror. Had I killed them? My horrific red eyes burned as strong as my throat as I deliberated that it was not only possible, it was likely. I fell to the floor sobbing tearlessly knowing that what ever I was, it was evil.

Just then, I heard the sound of a motor in the distance. It was too loud for a car, I thought. It must be a truck. It was another human. I wanted to run down the stairs, run to whoever was approaching, begging for help. I turned from the sink, away from the image in the mirror, waiting for whoever was approaching, unsure what to do next.

This time I knew what I was seeing was not happening… at least not yet. It _was_ a truck approaching the house. And I was in fact a demon. A man got out. I ran out the door and leapt at him, tearing into his throat with my teeth. My face relaxed as the thirst that had been torturing me for the last hour was finally quenched. I would murder this stranger and drink his blood. Then the vision changed. It was a funeral, the man in the truck's funeral, his wife and his children crying at the side of his coffin.

I pulled out of the vision and back to the present. The sound of the truck coming down the road frustrated me and horrified me. I didn't want to kill another person, but I knew instinctively that I needed him, him and his…blood. It was going so slow and I was so thirsty.

The vision changed. I was on the road pulling him from the truck. I cringed away from the sight of the man's terrified face as I tore into his neck. I saw his blood on my hands.

I came once again back into the present. I wallowed in despair even as I began to retreat for the bathroom, down the hall and toward the stairs. How could this be? I did not want to be a monster; I just didn't want to be in pain anymore.

Another vision appeared, but this time it was not me. There was another man. He was not the angel I had seen in the loft, but they looked a lot alike. They both had blond hair. They both were very pale, just as I apparently was. This man was running fast, bearing down on a deer. He took the animal in his hands and put his mouth around its throat. The animal struggled briefly in the blond man's arms, and then succumbed. He laid it gently down on the ground.

"Thank you." The man mouthed silently.

Then I saw myself repeating the same act. I could see the relief on my face.

The nearness of the truck's motor brought me back. My mind raced to understand the pictures in my head. The engine stopped and as the cab door opened, I caught the first true smell of what my body had been yearning for. It was sweet, wet and hot. The monster that I clearly was already was down at the bottom of the stairs, being drawn to the spot where I knew he would pull his truck to a stop. As I waited in the kitchen hidden behind the icebox, I watched in my mind as two visions played back and forth, me killing the man, and me killing the deer. I understood completely that one or the other was about to occur.

"Ned… Grace…" The man was at the kitchen door knocking.

I turned and fled out into the parlor, straight through a closed window. I was at the edge of the forest that pushed up against the field before the glass hit the ground. I ran wildly thru the trees, desperate to find the animal in my vision. Finally, there he was. I had no time to think about what I was doing. In a blink of an eye I was on him, tearing into him, just as I had seen minutes ago. I sucked down the hot pulsating fluid, feeling instant relief from my pain. He did not have the delicious aroma that the man back at the farm had and I beat back my desire to return there. I laid the deer on the ground and patted his still warm body.

"Thank you"

**That little button down there... Yes, that one that says review... Make my day and give it a try.**


End file.
